Caitlyn Vanbeck upbeat despite X Factor exit

Budding pop star Caitlyn Vanbeck has waved her X Factor dream goodbye – but she has vowed that this is just the start of her music career.

The 17-year-old did not get through to the Judges’ Houses stage of the popular TV show after a tense knockout round at Wembley Arena.

But rather than let the setback get her down, the primary teaching student is wishing the remaining contestants well – and is already planning a trip to the recording studio to record her first EP.

Caitlyn, a first year student at Edinburgh University, was under strict instructions to keep quiet about how far she got in the talent contest until the latest episode aired on Sunday night.

The Six Chair Challenge – which involves each judge having to whittle down their acts from 16 to just six – involved Caitlyn singing Maria McKee’s Show Me Heaven for the approval of pop star Rita Ora.

Simon Cowell told Caitlyn that he “hated the song”, but did not criticise her performance.

“Rita said to me that half of her thought I was a really good canvas to work with and she could mould and shape me, but she was also thinking, was it the right thing for me, when I’m only 17,” said Caitlyn.

She has had a month to come to terms with not getting through to the next round, as the earlier stages of the competition were filmed in the summer.

She told the News today: “I’m not bitter. Everybody in that show has done really well. It’s opened a lot of doors for me that I never had before, so I’m just going to get going.

“I didn’t expect to get to the first round, never mind the last 16. The final six girls are incredible and I’m just going to root for them.

“The first couple of days I thought, ‘it’s finished’. But then I realised there were much worse things going on in the world. There’s no point in getting down about it. I have just got to be grateful for everything that’s been thrown my way.”

The former Ross High pupil, who lives in Tranent with parents Maria and Paul, has been inundated with support from new fans, including disgruntled viewers who took to Twitter to question why her Wembley performance was left on the cutting room floor.

Caitlyn, who was shown briefly on spin-off show The Xtra Factor, said: “People were saying that out of the whole 16 girls, I’m the only one who hasn’t had any air time, but you’ve got to take it as it comes.”